Apr 7 2009
An international group of nine pioneers who achieved fundamental advances in plastics polymers, processing, and applications will be formally inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame at a gala banquet during NPE2009, it was announced today by The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI). Produced by SPI, NPE2009 takes place June 22-26, 2009 at Chicago’s McCormick Place.
The Plastics Hall of Fame gala will start at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, June 22 in the ballroom of the West Building of McCormick Place. The keynote speaker will be Mike Ditka, celebrated former player with the Chicago Bears football team, member of the Football Hall of Fame, and commentator on the ESPN television network.
The nine inductees to be honored during NPE2009 are listed below.
- Robert Barr, developer of design concepts for plasticating screws now used throughout the plastics machinery sector; innovator and entrepreneur in blow molding equipment.
- Paul N. Colby, innovative designer, manufacturer, and entrepreneur in the field of feed screws for plastics processing machinery.
- Trevor Evans, whose leadership in plastic packaging included innovative work in package design and manufacture and executive management of key packaging firms.
- Prof. Paolo Galli, polymer chemist and resin company executive whose developments in the field of polymerization catalysts led to the creation of new types of polyolefins.
- James Hendry, inventor of a wide range of injection molding and structural foam machinery systems and developer of gas-assisted injection molding.
- Ralph A. Noble, compounding innovator and executive who pioneered the use of plasticizers for flexible vinyl and crosslinked polyethylene for wire and cable.
- Georg Schwartz, executive who became head of a small Austrian engineering firm and developed it into a leading global injection molding machinery manufacturer.
- Robert Swain, pioneer in the development of applications for polypropylene, then in the production of color masterbatches as founder and head of a leading supplier firm.
- Dr. Donald Witenhafer, polymer chemist whose inventions in PVC polymerization ended the threat of cancer caused by vinyl chloride emissions during resin production.